Hawk Mountain Council to mark 100 years of Scouting

On Feb. 8, 1967, Eagle Scout Eric C. Shafer, left, then a 16-year-old from Wyomissing, was one of 13 Scouts to present the Boy Scouts of America annual report to President Lyndon B. Johnson in Washington, D.C.

Eagle Scout Eric C. Shafer was just 16 when he was picked for a prestigious task in February 1967.

The Wyomissing teen and 12 other Scouts from around the nation traveled to Washington, D.C., to present the leather-bound annual report of the Boy Scouts of America to President Lyndon B. Johnson.

Shafer, now the senior pastor of Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church in Lansdale, Montgomery County, said the occasion is something he will never forget.

And thanks to the Hawk Mountain Council of the Boy Scouts of America, no one else is likely to forget that moment, either.

To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Boy Scouts of America in 2010, the Ontelaunee Township-based Hawk Mountain Council is putting together a book documenting the history of Scouting in Berks, Schuylkill and Carbon counties.

The book, "On My Honor 100 Years of Scouting Memories 1910 to 2010," is expected to be published in November.

The Hawk Mountain Council was formed in 1970 with the consolidation of the Daniel Boone Council in Berks County and the Appalachian Trail Council in Schuylkill County and part of Carbon County.

"It's a very, very rich tradition," said Sally Trump, camping director of the Hawk Mountain Council.

"Actually, even though our particular council was not a council (in 1910), some of the local units predate the official start of the Boy Scouts of America," Trump said.

The Hawk Mountain Council has started a campaign to tap into as much of that rich tradition as it can by reaching out to people such as Shafer with stories to tell.

"We want to hear stories," Trump said. "We want to hear some of the things we might not otherwise know."

Stephen M. Henning, a retired Hawk Mountain Council employee who is editing the book, said the tales have already started to trickle in.

There are stories about Camp Indianville, a former health resort in Vinemont that was converted into a Boy Scout camp.

Henning said that throughout the 1920s, Scouts from around Berks County would travel by trolley to the Vinemont camp in Spring Township.

Before cars were popular, some Scouts also would take trains to camping trips.

"They'd go as far as the train would take them, then a few miles farther by foot," Henning explained.

Henning said the search for Scouting stories has brought about some touching moments, including the case of Robesonia resident Joe Webb.

Webb's father, William, died when Joe was 4. But digging through his dad's old Scouting stuff has opened a door to the past.

"His dad had all kinds of photos of himself when he was a Scout in the 1930s," Henning said. "Joe is sort of learning to know his father a lot through these photos of Scouting."

Organizers at the Hawk Mountain Council hope to bring more attention to the search for photos and stories.

"I'd say about half the people in Berks County have been in contact with Scouting in one way or another, but not many are involved right now," Henning said. "The stories are out there. The hardest part is just getting people to know we're looking for the story."

Henning is eager to document this history before it's too late.

"A lot of the people who know these stories are getting on in years," he said. "And the stories are going to vanish if we don't get them down."

•Contact reporter David Mekeel at 610-371-5014 or dmekeel@readingeagle.com.